where i come from.

if i think about it for more than a minute it makes me incredibly sad that brad will never know know my father.
sure he knows him, but he will never know him.

he had early onset dementia by the time we got married and in the past two and a half years since then his mind has slowly gotten worse and worse. i think i know that god gave me a glimpse of he's the one and your daddy approves early on though just by my dad always knowing brad and when brad wasn't around he would always say "where is brad? how is brad?" even before greeting me when i would even consider showing up at home without that guy.

they always love without bounds.
they never meet a stranger.
they would give the shirt of their back for the comfort of a stranger.
my mom has prepared meals for more people that i could even begin to count, and still says to this day she does not like to cook. i do not believe her.
i watched them have a daily quiet time.
i saw first hand my dads ragged prayer list that he had had for years and years and years that was longer than any list should be, except a prayer list, and i watched him pray over everything on that list daily. my husband making that list the day i was born.

i could go on and on, but because if them i am who i am. if i am even half the woman my mother or father is, i will have considered my life a success.

i can think of no two better humans than to come from.
and god picked me to be their daughter.
some would call that lucky, i believe i'm especially blessed.

7 comments:

This was an incredibly touching post. So beautifully written, too. I know this is not the same, but my grandmother lived with my family for several years after she developed alzheimer's. I have had a glimpse firsthand of how difficult it can be watching someone you love struggle with the disease and this post brought tears to my eyes. It sounds like your father has an absolutely beautiful soul. What a blessing his life, and your mother's too, must be to so many people! Thank you so much for sharing!

So I really hope this doesn't come off as creeper status but that picture of your father makes me want to hug him. He looks so full of life, and fun and experiences. He seems like such a wonderful person to know.